Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer to retain BNP Paribas Open title at Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic triumphed over Roger Federer in an entertaining final to retain his title at the 2015 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

The world number one, who was victorious at the Australian Open in January, resisted a spirited second-set fightback from Federer to take the title for a fourth time with a 6-3, 6-7, 6-2 victory that was completed in a time of two hours and 17 minutes.

Djokovic was very impressive in the opening set, dominating the early exchanges of the 38<sup>th meeting between the two players before the Swiss battled hard from a break down to take the second on a tiebreak.

Normal order was restored in the third, however, with Djokovic impressing to continue a formidable run of form and successfully avenge his loss to Federer in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championship in February.

"I thought overall it was a great match from my side, very solid, great intensity, great commitment to hit every ball. I was very focused in the present moment," Djokovic said after the match.

"It's great that I managed to win this match in the big tournament and to win it in a way that I felt like I was the better player on the court. It's going to give me confidence, not just for future matches that I play against [Federer], but just for Miami and the rest of the season."

Federer was typically gracious in defeat, but has obviously been left relishing the opportunity to test himself against Djokovic once again before the year is out.

"I would like to congratulate Novak on a great final and a wonderful tournament," he said. "It's a great start to the season and I hope we can play some more this year."